What would Jesus do?

There has been some fascinating discussion this past week about the sign WWJD displayed on posters at the Occupy London protest camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral.  The BBC article (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16068178) has also produced quite a lot of subsequent blog comment.

The following comments are taken from “Lives Jesus Changed” (http://www.christianfocus.com/item/show/1310/-) and reflect on why it might be better to ask “What would John do?”

What Would Jesus Do?

In John 1 John the Baptist tells us of two tasks which the Messiah/Christ will perform.

He is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (v29, v37)

It is a staggering claim.  There are at least two possible thoughts in mind here.  In Isaiah 53 we are given a prophecy about a character who will be led like a lamb to the slaughter (v7) and one who would have the iniquity of us all laid upon him (v6b).  Many people see a strong allusion to the servant-messiah who will take away the sins of the world through his saving death.  Is John at least strongly hinting here that finally the servant-messiah figure is among them now?

The Passover celebrations (recorded in Exodus 12) may well be the more likely insinuation which John has in mind.  As a yearly memorial each Jewish household was to recollect God’s rescue fromEgyptby killing a lamb.  This helped them remember the day when God passed over faithful Jewish homes and spared them from God’s wrath, whilst killing the first-born in every Egyptian home.  The blood of the lamb that had been slain then was splattered on the lintels and posts of their front door, showing God that a lamb had died in place of the firstborn.  In that way sin had been atoned for and God passed over them.  Later in the New Testament (see 1 Corinthians 5:7) the Apostle Paul makes a direct link between the death of Jesus on the cross as our sin-bearer and the picture of the Passover lamb.

Whichever of these two pictures is mainly in John the Baptist’s mind, the conclusion is amazing.  Jesus will do what neither John nor any other religious ritual ceremony (water baptism included) can do:  He will take away the sins of the world through His sin-bearing death.  Isn’t that fantastic news?

He is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit (v33)

The second thing that Jesus alone can do is baptise with the Holy Spirit.  This is the internal work of washing away sin and the new birth that comes to make us true children of God (see v.13, “born of the spirit of God”).  The Christian life begins with baptism.  Not baptism by water (which is merely a symbol, or better, a sacrament), but baptism in the Spirit.  Whilst we constantly need to be filled and refilled with the Holy Spirit as He takes over God’s rightful rule in every part of our life (see Ephesians 5:21ff.), baptism happens once, and it is our Christian beginning (See Acts 1:5, 1 Corinthians 12:13).

This is great news for all people!  Jesus did what we couldn’t do to or for ourselves.  He deals with our guilt and sin on the cross and puts that remedy straight to work at the very heart of our being: our spirit.

WWJD

It has become trendy to wear little badges or bracelets with the four letters WWJD.  The letters stand for “What would Jesus do”.  In any and every situation, to be reminded “What would Jesus do” is quite a challenge to act as he would act.

However, with John the Baptist’s testimony in front of us, I wonder whether that is quite the right question.  At one level of course, Jesus did for us what we could never do for anyone else.  I cannot die to atone for other people’s sin.  And as a local Church minister I often remind parents of children brought for baptism, that all I can do is make their baby’s head wet! Only God can take sin away. Only God can baptise in the Spirit.  At the heart of John’s witness is a humble signpost to Jesus.  John will decrease.  Jesus must increase.

I wonder, then, would it not be as useful to think “What Would John Do?” whenever we see those four letters WWJD.  John’s witness to Jesus is stunning and costly.  He did not fail to speak up nor did he deny he knew Jesus.  He stood before his accusers with a simple testimony: It is not about me, it is all about Him!

It has sometimes been said: if you were arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to bring you to conviction?!

We live in a day and age where the scenario with which I began this chapter is becoming an increasing possibility.  I hope and pray that should that day come, I will think and act like John thought and acted, even if it costs me as much as it cost him.

The all important question is not: “who do you think you are?” but “who do you think He is?” Have you taken John’s own testimony seriously?  What would John do?

King’s Cross by Tim Keller – a review

King’s Cross, by Tim Keller (Hodder & Stoughton 2011)

Reviewed by Simon Vibert

     Tim Keller has been criticised (or complimented) depending on which way you look at it) as being a better speaker than a writer (note the conversation surrounding Reason for God in Newsweek magazine and Tim’s own response http://www.newsweek.com/2008/02/09/the-smart-shepherd.html; http://www.edstetzer.com/2008/02/tim_keller_on_evolution_and_ot.html).  In fact, this criticism does not apply to King’s Cross.  For sure, this book started life as Bible expositions in Mark’s Gospel – and you can “hear” Tim speaking all the way through – but it has been turned into very readable and edifying prose.

 The book received a surprising and insightful boost from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, at the July 2011 General Synod meeting inYork:

 The American Presbyterian writer Timothy Keller has recently published a book on Mark’s gospel, entitled King’s Cross.  It is a vividly written and often very moving presentation of the great themes of the gospel (and incidentally offers a forceful defence of substitutionary language for the atonement that might give second thoughts to some who find this difficult); but perhaps its simplest and most dominant insight is that Christianity is not advice but news. (http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/2122/archbishop-of-canterburys-presidential-address-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/)

 King’s Cross divides neatly into the two recognisable halves of Mark’s Gospel – Part One: “The King” (Mark 1-10); Part Two: “The Cross” (Mark 11-16).  The book is a combination of winsome apologetical summons and affectionate (in all senses of that word) appeal to everyday human experience.  Chapter titles such as “The Dance”, “The Waiting”, “The Stain”, “The Feast” etc are surprising and enticing titles for a series of Bible talks. He credits CS Lewis as his favourite author (p.6) and it is not hard to see why Tim is often labelled as “a C. S. Lewis for the 21st century, a high-profile Christian apologist who can make orthodox belief not just palatable but necessary.” (Newsweek article).  He tells the Gospel story in a way which resonates with the human quest for a meaningful narrative for life.

 There are other big themes which are part of Tim’s “Gospel-centred” approach to Christian ministry, such as, the chapter “The Rest”.  He shows that Jesus came to earth to bring about the end of Religion as we know it:

 “Righteous” people believe they can “heal themselves,” make themselves right with God by being good and moral.  They don’t feel the need for a soul-physician, someone who intervenes and does what they can’t do themselves…Because the Lord of the Sabbath said, “It is finished,” we can rest from religion – forever. (p47)

 He also interacts with William Vanstone’s interesting book The Phenomenology of Love indicating that we all seek true, unconditional love, but are incapable of giving it.  But, ironically, in meeting Jesus we are enabled to need less and give more.  Why is that?

 If your agenda is the end, then Jesus is just the means; you are using him.  But if Jesus is the King, you cannot make him a means to your end. (p106f.).

 The strong evangelistic/apologetic appeal is evident throughout the book.  Alongside Mere Christianity this is the kind of book which I would give to a thinking non-Christian today.  For example

 [Jesus] is both the rest and the storm, both the victim and the wielder of the flaming sword, and you must accept him or reject him on the basis of both.  Either you’ll have to kill him or you’ll have to crown him.  The one thing you can’t do is just say, “What an interesting guy.”  Those teachers of the law who began to plot to kill Jesus at the end of this episode in the temple – they may have been dead wrong about him, but their reaction makes perfect sense. (p162).

 His death on the cross is simply explained as Jesus drinking the cup of God’s wrath (the poisoned chalice) so that we don’t need to; and as going under the sword, bearing our punishment in our place.

 I join the Archbishop of Canterbury in highly recommending this book.  When Tim comes to Oxford to lead the OICCU mission next year I trust and hope he will do what he has said all preachers need to do, and that which this book exemplifies:

 To be a great preacher, one needs to be tri-perspectival in their exegesis. That is, they need to be committed to the exegesis of the Bible, the exegesis of our culture, and the exegesis of the human heart. Some preachers claim that if you exegete the Bible properly, you don’t need to bother yourself with the exegesis of our culture or the human heart. The problem with this view, however, is that the Bible itself exhorts us to apply Biblical norms to both our lives and to our world… But no preacher has consistently taught me how to do all three in the context of every sermon more so than Tim Keller. His balanced attention to all three forms of exegesis makes him very unique, in my opinion. (http://www.joshharris.com/2008/08/tim_keller.php)

 Note

More on Tim Keller’s preaching in my book Excellence in Preaching published by IVP UK, September 2011.

A Rubicon has been crossed

A Rubicon has been crossed

 As legend has it “crossing the Rubicon” refers to “the point of no return” because once Julius Caesar crossed this shallow river in Northern Italy in 49BC war was inevitable.

A ruling from the High Court in England has in effect declared war on traditional Christian values, the very values which shaped much of the law of our land: the dignity of humankind; the right to hold to private beliefs and express them publicly; and the abiding wisdom of God’s 10 commandments, to name just a few.

Mr and Mrs Johns believe that Christianity teaches that homosexual conduct is wrong.  They believe that this is what the church teaches and they think that this is to be found in the bible.  To teach a foster child in their care that homosexuality was right would be in contradiction of their faith.  As Mrs John’s says: “All we were not willing to do was to tell a small child that the practice of homosexuality was a good thing” (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-12598896).

The high court has ruled that protecting a person from being discriminated because of sexual orientation trumps protecting a person against discrimination because of their religious beliefs.

So now it seems: Christianity is an oppressive and an unhealthy place to bring up foster children.  The downward spiral our society has experienced is-

• Denial of Christian beliefs;
• Loss of Christian behaviour;
• The conviction that Christian beliefs and behaviour are not good but bad for society and even to teach a child Christian morality is harmful to their well being.

A foundational part of equality is the right to hold your own views and not to contravene your own conscience.  But modern England today, like ancient Rome has “exchanged the truth for a lie” (Romans 1:25):

My conscience and common sense dictate that I must continue to say:

1)     That children thrive in heterosexual relationships when brought up by the good role models of a mother and a father who have pledged to stay together for life;

2)     That homosexuality is bad for the body (anatomically), and it fails to recognise genetic and biological differences between men and women;

3)     Ultimately society requires opposite gender sexual intercourse in order to produce children and generally people are still agreed that traditional husband/wife families are good for society.

The dilemma is that if Christians continue to appeal to the Christian values which have shaped not only the Church but our legal system and the foundation of society, then I will be judged by many to be holding to oppressive and inhuman views.

We may feel that we have reached a point of no return.  But we should also bear in mind that our society has not quite yet got to the degenerate state of the Roman Empire (as described in Romans 1).  Paul’s conviction was that the message about Jesus Christ is the power of God for salvation for all believe.  Many have argued that despite Caesar’s great conquests, it was the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which ultimately contributed to the Fall of Rome.  The Rubicon may be crossed but ultimate victory belongs to God.

See more Christian responses to the Mr & Mrs Johns High Court ruling over Foster Care:

Peter Ould on popular reportings of the case misreading the judgement http://www.peter-ould.net/2011/03/01/breaking-christians-with-traditional-moral-views-can-still-be-foster-parents/;

Cramner blog on the challenge of privileging Discrimination laws http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/2011/03/laws-and-usages-of-realm-do-not-include.html

Also:

http://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/blog/fostercouple;  http://ugleyvicar.blogspot.com/

A great motto for 2011 and all of life (and death!)

Philippians 1:21 is my life motto, Paul’s great words: “For me to live is Christ; to die is gain”.

The sanity and challenge of this verse continues to blow me a way.

A reason for living: Jesus Christ, knowing Him (the power of His resurrection; fellowship in His sufferings, Phil 3:10), contentment (Phil 4:11) and satisfaction Him (Abased and abounding, Phil 4:12).

Hope in dying: Rom 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” NKJV.  Groaning now and glory then, this is normal Christian living.

The thing which is so healthy about this verse is that it gives compelling reason for being on this earth (fruitful labour and joy in Christ), but it keeps me from being so attached to this earth that I overcome my homesickness for heaven, my true home.

A great reason for living in 2011, whatever it may hold!

“I/thou” relationships in the electronic age

“I/thou” relationships in the electronic age – is the internet the preacher’s friend or foe?

 When Jewish theologian Martin Buber published his famous book “Ich und Du” in 1923 he made the important point that Christian faith is based not on “I/it” but the more interpersonal language of “I/thou”.  Existence is encounter.  God is not an object but He is a person.  We relate to God in this way because God internally relates within himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  At the heart of the universe is an interpersonal God and all human relationships which flow from this foundation.

I have been thinking quite a bit about the role of modern technology and the preacher’s role.  As I have done so, Buber’s important book has been ringing in my ears.  A couple of recent encounters have stimulated my thinking.

The Medium and the Message

First, at the Evangelical Homiletics Society meeting which I attended in Chicago recently there were a number of good papers on the relationship between the preacher’s task and the use of the internet.  For some, relationship is so important that even recording sermons, let alone uploading them for a world-wide audience, spoils the preaching beyond redemption.  I partially agree.  Preaching is intended to be relational.  If, as Marshall McLuhan famously stated, The Medium is the Message then the medium of the internet has deleterious effect on preaching.  The message communicated by the internet is one of passivity, ultra-selectivity and independence.  Preaching should engage, it should interact, it should connect with people!  Thus, for some, the internet is an enemy of good preaching.

On the other hand, some have emphasised the pedagogical benefit of the internet.  After all: reading is a highly selective and individualistic activity.  But most don’t see reading as an enemy of preaching, but rather, for most people, it is a supplement to preaching.  Although, in passing, remember that for years Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones refused to allow the printing of his sermons and then only if the full unedited text was published in order that the reader could at least attempt to hear the message.

Perhaps the danger from the internet is more subtle.  After all, something is always “lost” (as well as gained) when we make use of media.  McLuhan argued that the media is an extension of the self.  Media are not just a means to an end, but they encapsulate the personality and body of the person who uses them.  They are a message in and of themselves.  McLuhan’s concern was to warn of the costs of unthinkingly using the technology, for there is always a cost involved in using such means of communication.

The “i-age”

Secondly, the highly individual nature of modern communication was observed in an article in The BBC News magazine (26.10.10) entitled i – how can one letter mean so much?  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11625862.

Commenting on the recent launch of the Independent Newspaper’s “i” edition they speculate over what it is that is so attractive about the “i”.  Apple has added to their increasing array of gadgets from the imac; to the ipod; to the iphone; to the recent ipad.  Now, the magazine notes onto the market have sprung the idog and the iteddy toys alongside their own BBC iplayer.

The new Independent, aiming at a younger audience claims to communicate concepts such as intelligence, incisiveness, interest, influence and ideas.  Young people want things to be personalised (using “my space” and personal branding, for example); they want their information to be instant, headline grabbing and easily digestible.

So, what might this all mean for today’s preachers and congregations?

Is the internet the preacher’s friend or foe?

For years I had read the (poor) translation of Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (NIV ) in highly personalised terms:  God’s word living in my heart,  that is what keeps me on track, I had thought (of course there is some defence for this view in Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you”).  I had a serious “aha” moment when Peter Adam rightly pointed out that the “you” is plural, and of course, the admonishing and teaching role which follows in the rest of the verse is something which happens in the corporate gathered community.  The Word of God at work among God’s people.  That’s the preacher’s task!

In a highly individualistic, web-surfing, “i” world I offer the following cautious advice for preachers using the internet:

• beware of the disembodiment of the preacher from the hearer; and the listener from the wider body of Christ.  Christian learning happens in Christian community; 

•  beware of pulpit plagiarism, or, more subtlety, the “drag and drop” approach to sermon preparation.  Serious thought militates against web surfing.  Books – with margins – foster deeper thought.   

• value the plethora of good models of preaching which can be heard with the click of a mouse (my forthcoming 12 Things Good Preachers do Well has a positive take on this modern benefit).  But use resources wisely and discerningly.
•  don’t binge or snack on homiletical fast food.  Feast and savour.
• words matter; images are liable to distort.  Do all you can to foster the primacy of words and the Word.

 I am sure there is more.  These are my first thoughts and I would value and further discussion.   Overall, being “all things to all people in order that we might win some” seems to be a good maxim for the internet.  But be a critical user and shun the standardising individualism of our age, preferring rather to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (1 Cor 9:22; Rom 12:1-2).

12 Things Good Preachers Do Well

A composite picture of a good preacher

(Summary of the forthcoming IVP book)

The 12 things good preachers do well may be summarised as:

• apply ancient truth using contemporary engagement;
• be aware of cultural and philosophical challenges to the Gospel;
• inspire a passion for the glory of God;
• let the Bible speak with simplicity and freshness;
• be a Word and Spirit preacher;
• use humour, anecdote and stories to generate enthusiasm and dismantle barriers;
• create interest; apply well;
• make much of Jesus Christ;
• be urgent and fervent in reaching the lost;
• persuade people by passionate argument from the Bible;
• teach with directness, challenge and relevance;
• preach the whole counsel of God.

 If we add to this Jesus’ authoritive sermons, Paul’s passionate plea for faithful preaching (2 Tim 4:1ff), and Barack Obama’s contemporary use of ancient rhetoric, we may state that good preaching requires the following:

 Be relevant and show how the Bible is of direct interest and application to this to your congregation today.  Immerse yourself in God’s word so that you are speaking from his agenda and not your own, and in order that people sense that God’s agenda is controlling what you are saying.

 Use humour and story, show your humanity but in a way that helps the congregation see that you have found your joy, purpose and meaning in God.  Give the congregation food for thought and send them away fed on God’s word, but at the same time wanting more.

 Work hard to make your sermon clear, simple, and memorable using repetition, alliteration, rhetorical techniques etc which work for you.  Use language and words as the well sharpened tools of your trade.  Communicate the weighty importance and urgency of what you are saying, allowing it to move you and your congregation.

 Be familiar enough with your material to speak naturally and in a way that shows that this message has already impacted you.  Don’t be bookish, but be people-ish!  Don’t disconnect with people in order to prepare a sermon.  Rather prepare sermons by loving, praying for and rubbing shoulders with the people to whom you are preaching.

 There are a number of things which we have not said about preaching in this book:  We have said almost nothing about prayer and very little about the godliness and integrated life of the preacher.   We have concentrated on the act of preaching itself and noted the good things which preachers do well.  In fact none of the things listed above will be accomplished in preaching if the preacher is not growing as a Christian and deeply committed to preaching as a spiritual task. 

 The word that it sometimes used to describe such preaching is sometimes is unction:

There is sometimes somewhat in preaching that cannot be ascribed either to matter or expression, and cannot be described what it is, or from whence it cometh, but with a sweet violence it pierceth into the heart and affections and comes immediately from the Word; but if there be any way to obtain such a thing, it is by the heavenly disposition of the speaker. [1]

Unction is the word that is used to describe the extraordinary way in which God transforms the human words of the preacher in such a way that they come with the full force of God’s word: challenged the spirit and giving the hearer the sense that the living God has personally addressed me today.  I long for more of that preaching today, don’t you?

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[1]  Attributed to E.M. Bounds, http://www.reformationandrevival.org.uk/5.html

Preaching Acts; Training Homileticians

Implications for Preaching from the Book of Acts

 This has been a great final week of term at Wycliffe Hall concentrating on preaching.

 We have David Cook from Sydney Missionary Bible School preaching to students and modelling good preaching practice.

 At the same time we have jointly hosted a Consultation with Langham Partnership.  We have delegates from around the world meeting to discuss best practice in developing good preachers through seminar and seminary education.

 I facilitated a discussion on using Acts as a model for building a Homiletics Curriculum.  In broad outline we felt that it should cover:

1.  Content

 The sermons of Acts are unashamedly Christological, with a particular emphasis on Christ’s death and resurrection (e.g. “he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.  God said this Jesus to life, and we are witnesses of the fact”; “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.  We are witnesses of this.” Acts 2:31f; 3:16)).

 Paul’s evangelistic sermons moved from known (identifying with his Jewish or Gentile audience) to unknown (e.g. Acts 17).

 Sermons were eschatologically focused.  Preachers today need to communicate the tension between that which has been certainly revealed (The Gospel summons to repent and believe) and that which requires a tentative and humble awareness of our limitations (E.g. confidence over Christ’s future return but humility over when).

 In Acts in is named and idolatry specified (it specifics which offend, not generalities) but always with the purpose of leading the audience to submit to Christ as Lord and call to him as Saviour.

                                              

2. Context/Culture

The various locations where the Apostles preached included: Synagogue, market place, homes, cities, countryside, riverside etc.

 We need to be helping our students use the variety of different locations and cultures around them to communicate Christ: the coffee shop, open air, debating hall, pub, homes, hustings rally, oh, yes, and of course, Church!  Practice and training in these skills need to work alongside a clear understanding of the content of the message.

 3. Character

 By character I mean both the personal character of the preacher and style/characteristics of the sermon

 Preaching in Acts is marked by:

• Expectancy.  They assumed that something would happen when they preached, and invariably it did!
• Event/explanation: The Spirit is poured at Pentecost and a sermon follows; someone is healed which provokes an explanation.  The event/explanation pattern has given birth to a “signs and wonders” theology for some.  I certainly do not want to undervalue the great opportunity which a miracle gives for preaching Christ!  However, I wonder whether Acts is also encouraging us to be attentive to speaking to and about the events which happen every day under God’s providential hand?
• Evangelistic focus (Acts 1:8).  This centrifugal force (sending out the word into all the world) still operates today and motivates Gospel preaching
• Teams/modelling: Paul was not a lone ranger.  He preached alongside Silas, Barnabas, Mark, Peter, and other companions.  Preaching is caught as well as taught; learnt and modelled; a gifting that needs training.

 

4. Communication

We had a fruitful discussion around the range of preaching/teaching words in Acts.  Peter Adam in Speaking God’s Words (IVP) summarises the main groups of speaking ministries as

• information
• declaration
• exhortation
• persuasion
• conversation

 Preachers need to be competent in all these kinds of word-based ministries in order to be faithful and effective preachers of God’s word.

 Clearly there is more that can be learned from Acts, and indeed from the rest of the New Testament, about training today’s preachers in their God-given task.  But, this distillation from Acts is a great place to start!

Bible by the Beach

Just back from a good time at Bible by the Beach meeting in Eastbourne on the South coast.

Bible readings by Alistair Begg (blog summary by Hugh Bourne at http://www.hughbourne.co.uk/) and good input from Wallace Benn and others, on the theme of the Cross of Christ.  Engaging and winsome presentation of the glory and power of the cross.  It was heartening to have the bible opened and the clarity of preaching the sinbearing work of Christ’s death.  Stuart Townend, Lou Fellingham and Ian White did a great job leading sung worship.

I led seminars on “Maintaining Healthy Marriages” launched “Lives Jesus Changed”, and preached at Victoria Baptist Church http://www.victoriabaptist.org.uk/ on the Sunday  

For an event in its second year it was most encouraging to have over a thousand at the two evening celebrations and an average of a little over 600 over the whole weekend.  Praise God for a great new event!  2011 event planning is well under way (29th April – 2nd May 2011).  See www.biblebythebeach.org

Spectacle Frames and Skeletal Outlines

Spectacle Frames and Skeletal Outlines

We had a great Study Morning with the Students at Wycliffe Hall last week. NT tutor Justin Hardin, Doctrine Tutor Benno Van DenToren and I to bring our integrated thinking to apply academic learning, spiritual formation and ministerial training from 1 Peter. My job was to do a “walk through” sermon from first read of the text to final form.

Sometimes I detect a little impatience when we discuss matters of structure and homiletical form. Surely we need to get on with the task of preaching the message of the bible and spend less time on homiletics?

But I have become increasingly convinced that form and content belong together. The skeleton of the sermon should not be protruding the flesh, but without any bones and support structure the body if formless and lifeless.

As I have mentioned elsewhere (see www.Simonvibert.com) Spurgeon was a master at the art of structuring and simplifying skeleton sermon outlines, producing over 12,000 of them, still in print. I have always felt that John Stott is brilliant at this task, always leaving me with a sense that his sermon has said all that needs to be said about the passage, helping me see it with a new clarity.

To illustrate: I am not very good at looking after my glasses. When they are well cared for and not scratched I hardly notice that I am wearing them. However, at the moment, I have bent one arm and scratched the right lens. The consequence of this clumsiness is that rather than seeing through the lens I am forever noticing the scratch. And rather than having clear focus on objects in front of me I have very aware that I need to wiggle the arm around to get a clear view.

A similar clumsiness at the stage of sermon construction can mean that the congregation is distracted from the content of the biblical passage by the lack of focus in the sermon outline. Instead of seeing the passage clearly, the structure distracts.

If the preacher states: “Rejoice despite trials” (1 Peter 1:6-7) the well educated congregation knows this to be true but fails to connect this with the specific flow of Peter’s thought.

If, on the other hand the preacher says: “Welcome trials and testing because like gold, your faith is precious. God will allow faith to be tested through suffering to make it pure.”

This task of pressing for clarity in the homiletical outline is a gift to the congregation. It enables them to concentrate on how the ancient bible passage applies to contemporary life. Good preachers structure sermons in such a way that the framework supports the bible message and enable congregations to focus their gaze on the God who speaks through his living Word.

Preaching Survey – The results are in!

Many thanks to all who responded to my two questions:

1.  Who is your most favorite living preacher(s) to listen to?

 2.  Can you name what it is that they do that makes you listen?

I polled students and those on my email address book; I also received a number of results via my Facebook page.  So far, over 200 people have replied.  I do not intend to produce a “most favorite preacher” list (which would be unedifying).  Moreover, my survey was intended to give a “gut” reaction rather than a scientific survey.

The purpose of the survey is twofold

• It assists me in writing the book “Things which 12 popular preachers do well”;
•  The observations made about preaching and preachers will end up becoming part of a soon-to-be launched website on preaching and preachers.

I shared the following comments with my students recently:-

1.  Good preachers manifest Humanity (vulnerability, empathy, warmth), Humour (Story-telling, insight); Holiness (Spirit’s presence, unction, awe, Christ-centered); Heartiness (anointing, urgent, passion). As Jonathan Edwards put it: there is Heat & Light.  This is not the totality of things which good preachers do well, but they certainly feature highly in the congregations sense that the preacher has enabled them to meet with the living God through their sermon.

2. Whilst some of the top preachers include, in no particular order (although I now feel like one of X Factor judges!): John Piper, Simon Ponsonby, Mark Driscoll, Rico Tice, Christopher Ash, John Stott, Tim Keller, Dick Lucas (and there were many more!) – I agree with the comment that someone made:  “I would put down (…) as my favorite ‘big name’ preacher, but in fact, the faithful week-in-week out preaching of my local Vicar is what nourishes me as a Christian.”  I am not interested in starting a guru mentality or personality cult, but rather, I would like us to learn from those who preach well and understand why they connect with us.

3.  Finally, I think Tim Keller is spot on when he says to preachers:

If you put in too much time in your study on your sermon you put in too little time being out with people as a shepherd and a leader. Ironically, this will make you a poorer preacher. It is only through doing people-work that you become the preacher you need to be–someone who knows sin, how the heart works, what people’s struggles are, and so on. Pastoral care and leadership (along with private prayer) are to a great degree sermon preparation. More accurately, it is preparing the preacher, not just the sermon. Through pastoral care and leadership you grow from being a Bible commentator into a flesh and blood preacher.

I have much more to say in this topic, so watch this space!